Hard to believe we have seen and done so much in the past 3 days. This morning is our last chance to catch the few things we have not seen in Reykjavik. We woke to gray skies and drizzle but that won’t stop us too much.
We started with breakfast at a café called Loki, where they serve traditional Icelandic food across the street from the church, Hallsgrimkirkja. This was Steve’s chance to “enjoy” fermented shark. I have no idea what made him think that this was a good idea at 8 AM but he was determined to try it. So he ordered this truly unique food that smells strongly like floor stripper. He could barely choke it down but thankfully it is served with a shot of Brenavin, the local aquavit so he was able to survive the experience. The boys enjoyed their pancakes stuffed with Skyr cream and caramel sauce while I stuck to more traditional bagel, cheese and marmalade.
Thankfully we had the chance to visit the church next, paying extra to take the very modern elevator up to the bell tower to enjoy the fabulous view of the city. It was grey and raining but the views were still impressive.
We then spent a couple hours in the National Museum, taking in the history and development of this country. The museum is very well done with incredibly thoughtful curation of key items from the history of the country. We enjoyed combing through the 2 floors in detail and learning more about the various rules (Danish, Norwegian, etc.), how the Vikings became farmers on this island and the ultimate development of an independent nation.
Our last and final stop on the way to the airport was to the Pearl (Perla). The city converted 4 old silos into a state of the art museum that aims to provide interactive experiences highlighting the natural wonders of Iceland. We walked through a manmade but very real glacier tunnel, watched a stunning overhead movie of the Northern Lights, learned about the lakes and rivers (and critters that live in them), experience virtual reality with puffins and enjoyed a spectacular view of the city from outside of it. It was actually a pretty fun experience.
Then we were off the to return our rental car and hop on our 7 hour flight home. Thanks for another great visit, Iceland! We will be back!
